Reel Recovery Update - Sept 2013

TFF donations of contributions and member efforts are making a difference in Texas Reel Recovery efforts! THANK YOU TFFMike EmersonTexas State CoordinatorReel Recovery!!

SUMMER/FALL NEWS

2013 has been a great year of contributions from TFF to Texas Reel Recovery (RR). First, the TFF RR Team has grown to a start of two members to fourteen with strong support of our club Presidents (David and Marcos) and other officers. Add to that, the news about RR is spreading to Memorial- Hermann, Texas Oncology, and hopefully soon MD Anderson male cancer patients. Our club made a contribution of $1000 this year, enough to support a participant at a RR retreat. The Chairmen of Texas and National Reel Recovery are very appreciative of the TFF club support, and hope the TFF members will build a team to support a Houston Reel Recovery Retreat. The challenge to the TFF RR Team is to continue spread the RR message in Houston, to gain donations/support from companies and community organizations, and to hold a fund raiser staffed by TFF Members.

At the State level, Texas RR added a first ever retreat Broken Bow OK to be held Oct. 12. This retreat was funded by a generous donation from the Lower Mountain Fork Foundation , RR Texas funds (donations/fund raisers), East Texas and Louisiana Fly clubs. There is strong participant demand for another retreat at Broken Bow in the Spring of 2014.

2014 - On the Horizon

Four TFF RR Team members or more will participate as Fishing Buddies and receive Retreat Coordinator training in the Spring. Other RR Team members will be making applications for grants and donations from many Houston companies and community organizations. A fund raiser will be planned, staffed and executed to raise retreat funds for 2014/15.

Want to help?

If you are interested in doing more like joining the TFF RR Team, or helping in some way, or learning how to get your company to make a donation, contact Nancy Lappin at 281-923-9388 or Dave Steffek at 832-288-4774. You can also make a personal contribution – go to the website http://texasreelrecovery.org/. Check out the short story on our club’s Harry Molder as a participant at the Glen Rose Retreat.

Want more of the background on Reel Recovery? Go to the video on Utube - http://youtu.be/uVNsrkZRhs4
SPRING NEWS
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FF RR Team member Dick Pipkin attended his second Reel Recovery Retreat (RR) along with Dave Steffek at the Louisiana Retreat near Jennings Louisiana. Dick and Dave served as Fishing Buddies standing beside retreat participants showing them how to cast a fly rod, helping them select flies, and doing whatever necessary to catch fish. And, the men they helped not only caught fish, but became their instant friends. Dave also led one group of the participants in a short class tying flies. One of the men caught a fish on the fly he tied—told everyone about it!

“Fishing buddies” are a key role at the every retreat. They help connect the fly fishing experience in the great outdoors to the participants. This is an important aspect of every retreat. More important is people supporting people. The experience of being a buddy is very rewarding, and the men at the retreat, coping with cancer, are very appreciative of the time donated to give them hope through a new avenue of life’s joy and hope as they look ahead to/in recovery.

Orvis, Fishing Tackle Unlimited, and Anglers Edge are flying the RR Banner and spreading the Texas RR Retreat flyers along with Bass Pro Shops. Men coping with cancer or their friends or relatives see the RR Flyers, the retreat locations and dates, and contact RR to sign up for a retreat. RR gets a significant number of participants by organization support like this, and people spreading the word about the support RR can provide. Thanks for Orvis, FTU, Anglers Edge and Bass Pro for helping Reel Recovery spread the word! The TFF RR Team will continue to have Teas RR flyers available at meetings—pick one up. Or, if you know someone, talk with them about the retreats and direct them to us for a flyer. Contact Dave Steffek 832-288-4774.Your personal donations to RR are also very much appreciated.

TFF RR Team Members Joe Burton and Dave Steffek set up Reel Recovery Information booths at Orvis Days events at the Westheimer and Woodlands stores. This same activity is going on in Austin and Dallas stores.